Luzerne County officials and residents must take action to prevent the state from shutting down the White Haven Center, a residential state institution for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Robert Schnee told his county council colleagues this week.
“We have to fight for these people,” Schnee implored. “We’re just not going to let politicians do whatever they want.”
The matter surfaced because a new bill calls for closure of the White Haven Center in Foster Township and three other remaining state institutions by the end of 2022. Introduced by state Rep. Kerry A. Benninghoff, a Republican representing parts of Centre and Mifflin counties, the bill is still in its infancy and hasn’t made it out of the committee stage.
Under this legislation, institution residents would be transitioned into home and community-based support programs, such as group homes that house several residents. Benninghoff argues such programs improve quality of life and cost less.
State Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, said he has received an outpouring of feedback against the proposal. The White Haven Center has 117 residents and employs 430, he said.
During past talks of closure, relatives of White Haven Center residents have argued their family members need intensive and specialized care and supervision that can’t be provided at their homes or in group homes.
“People in the community understand how important this center is and the level of care and compassion it provides for residents and their families,” said Mullery. The lawmaker brought the issue to light during a visit to White Haven earlier this week as part of his ongoing tour of all 19 communities in his district.
Schnee said council should prepare a letter to the state opposing the bill, and he urged citizens to contact legislators to express displeasure.
“It’s serious,” Schnee said. “This needs special attention.”
Councilman Stephen A. Urban said he supports keeping the center open and had advocated against closure years ago in his previous role as a county commissioner before home rule.
However, Urban stressed the focus must be on the needs of each resident because some may receive better services and social interaction in less restrictive community group homes.
“It’s what’s best for the individual. At the same time, there’s a need for White Haven for specific people who can’t go into group homes,” Urban said.
Councilwoman Kathy Dobash said she had worked with some elderly White Haven Center residents when she had an art studio and agreed with Urban about the need for options.
Mullery wants to be proactive about potential changes, citing the abrupt announcement from the governor’s administration in January that three Northeastern Pennsylvania state prisons were being eyed for closure. Gov. Tom Wolf and other state officials ended up deciding to shut down SCI-Pittsburgh.
“We literally received no notice that was happening, and I don’t want the same thing to happen with intellectual and developmental disabilities centers,” Mullery said.
‘For the greater good’
Independent of the proposed state legislation, the governor has authority to close these institutions, Mullery said. State officials are in the process of closing the Hamburg State Center in Berks County, which serviced 80 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“The governor has shown a willingness to shutter these facilities, so it’s very important for advocates to be involved at these early stages,” Mullery said.
Located on 192 acres, the former tuberculosis sanatorium was purchased by the state to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 1956. At one point, the facility housed 1,800 patients and employed approximately 800.
According to Rep. Benninghoff’s briefing, his legislation would require the state to develop transitional closure plans and opportunities for public input. The average cost to support an individual in a state institution is more than $350,000 per year and as high as $450,000 in some institutions, he wrote, estimating the cost is often more than cut in half for programs in community settings.
This legislation also would reprogram savings to address workforce shortages in the community-based system and reduce the state’s waiting list for services, Benninghoff said.
“These types of transitions are not and will not be easy, but it is for the greater good,” he wrote.
